The 17th Big Water Film Festival is here! We'll be at the Bay Theater in Ashland on January 17 and 18, 2025, and online from January 19 to February 2. We are excited about our film selections this year.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 AM: Cinema and Cinnamon Rolls

Come join us for our Saturday morning talk about films and filmmaking. This is always a fun event with a relaxed discussion and question-and-answer opportunity with our panelists, sweetened with cinnamon rolls from the Ashland Baking Company. This year we are focusing on films by Anishinaabe (Chippewa) filmmakers or with Anishinaabe subjects. On our panel will be Phil Krause (Director) and Paula Maday (Producer) of Stories of the Sloughs, a film that highlights the importance of the Kakagon Sloughs in the Bad River Tribe's history and culture. We are showing the film at the Festival on Saturday afternoon. Also on the panel will be Kalvin Hartwig, who recently voiced the character of "Red Leader" in the Ojibwe language version of Star Wars: A New Hope, the first Hollywood film dubbed in Ojibwe. Kalvin, who currently serves as the Red Cliff Tribe's Language-Culture Coordinator, will screen for us his short film on language and identity, This Is Who I Am. Our Committee's Claire Duquette will take up her customary role as moderator. Please note that we have a change of location this year. Due to the start of a major renovation of the Vaughn Library, we will be in the youth group room at the Presbyterian Congregational Church, across the alley behind the Bay Theater. Please use the east door on Third Street. If you've purchased a Festival pass, it is good for this event. Please note that Cinema and Cinnamon Rolls is an in-person event only and will not be available online.

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1:00 pm: The Live Festival: Saturday Early Afternoon

Sylvie on the Loose

Sylvie's release from jail is only the beginning of her journey to reclaim her freedom. Sylvie's journey takes her from elation and exuberance through heartbreak and disappointment to eventual redemption and a truly new start.

Of Two Worlds

This film tells the stories of the director's sister and cousin who, like her, are often mistaken as non-indigenous women. The film takes on the difficult issue of how these women are viewed by both the native and non-native communities and how, despite appearances, they are part of the long lineage of strong native women continuing the culture of their tribes.

The Sirens of Ukraine

Ukraine, February 24, 2022: In Kharkiv, under a bombing attack not far from the Russian border, twin sisters Maryna Aleksiiva and Vladyslava Alexsiiva flee their apartment in the middle of the night. At the last minute they take with them their Olympic medal, won in Tokyo a year earlier, for artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming). From then on, as their team is forced to relocate time and again, they are obsessed with one goal: participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

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3:30 pm: The Live Festival: Saturday Late Afternoon

Please note that "The Fishing Hat Bandit" will only be shown during the live Festival at the Bay Theater. "The Faraway Nearby" will be shown in its place in Block Three of the Virtual Festival.

The Stories of the Sloughs

The Kakagon Sloughs, one of the most significant wetlands on the Great Lakes, lies at the heart of the history and culture of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This film captures the beauty of the Sloughs, while Bad River members describe their importance and why they need to be protected. Special note: The director, Phil Krause, and the producer, Paula Maday, will be featured at Cinema and Cinnamon Rolls on Saturday morning.

In the Shadow of Jinshuai

Jinshuai, a 26 year old artist, tells his story about being gay and Chinese, and the cultural and family pressures that led to his decision to leave China at the age of 24. In the film we see some of Jinshuai's powerful artwork. This film has been brought to us by Big Water's long-time friend Pierre Gaffié and his company, Différent Productions.

The Fishing Hat Bandit

He was known as “the Fishing Hat Bandit” when he robbed a record 23 banks in Minnesota over 18 months in the early 2000s. Finally caught, imprisoned for 13 years, and now free, John Whitrock's story unfolds in utterly surprising ways, in counterpoint to the stories of the tellers who bear long-lasting scars from their encounters with him. Director Mark Brown finds Whitrock, now an old man, struggling to adjust to life outside of federal prison, engaged in coming to terms with who he really is, and trying to find some sort of grace and redemption. Mark Brown has previously shown at Big Water with his memorable 2017 short, Gaelynn Lea: The Songs We Sing. Producer Chris Newberry has shown multiple times at Big Water, including his films Trusted Messenger, Time for Ilhan, and American Heart, the last of which won the 2014 Audience Favorite Award. This film will only be shown live at the Bay Theater and not online.

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7:00 pm: The Live Festival: Saturday Night

Hidden in Plain Sight

When there's a swell in Liscannor Bay, County Clare, the waves light up the reef at the mouth of the bay. Ancient folklore tells of a lost city submerged there beneath the waves. In this magical film, Kev L. Smith--- a County Clare resident, scuba diver, free diver, surfer, and underwater cinematographer- combines legend, science, and adventure to explore the beckoning water across the bay.

Hurdles

A high school girl with dreams of joining the track team is met by hurdle after hurdle. She overcomes bullying and her loss of a sense of self-worth to reach her goal.

The Last Rhino

When Lili, a 70 year old grandmother, hears that the last of the Northern White Rhinos has died, she becomes obsessed with calling out the environmental consequences of everything she sees around her. She resolves to leave behind a better world for her granddaughter Gaby.

Hello Stranger

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the story of her gender reassignment journey. Piecing together her memories, from her childhood in a small fishing village in Eastern Canada through her tumultuous medical process, Cooper attempts to make peace with the last male imprint remaining on her body: that annoying deep voice that sticks to her skin. This is a film that has already been well received at dozens of film festivals, including SXSW.

Finding Her Beat

A master of Japanese drumming and a Korean adoptee from Minnesota boldly convene an all-female troupe to perform Taiko, the Japanese drumming art that has been off-limits to women for centuries. As the early menace of COVID rumbles in the background, the group faces down hurdles to prepare for a historic performance in snowy St. Paul. Buoyed by dynamic drum performances and a do-or-die spirit, this film is an energizing and uplifting story of music, cultural expression and sisterhood. Director Dawn Mikkleson has long been a popular filmmaker at Big Water: last year, her film Minnesota Mean took home the Best Documentary Award, and in 2018 she won the Audience Favorite Award for Risking Light.

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11:56 pm: The Virtual Festival: Block One

The Grand Salmon

Three kick-women, who are both expert kayakers and scientists, paddle from the upper reaches of the Salmon River, through the Snake River, and to the mouth of the Columbia, illustrating the challenges faced by the Snake River Basin salmon. Appealing to both the adventurer and the activist, this film will get your heart and your mind racing. In the most dramatic way possible, this film presents the case for the removal of the four Lower Snake River dams, in order to give the wild salmon population a chance to survive.

The Bear in the Shower

One of our best-loved filmmakers at Big Water (Best Short in 2011 for Bike Race, and Best Short-Short in 2015 for Isola del Giglio), Tom Schroeder has charmed even those audience members who think they don't like animated films. In this one, Tom explores the predicament of a woman who finds herself stuck in a friend's bathroom. Tom's pacing of his story is perfect and the way he moves his character and us from a kind of dreamy acceptance to a closing tension obliges us to watch until the last second of the end credits.

Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania

In the 1970s and 1980s, the small Pennsylvania town of New Hope was among a few safe havens outside of major cities for gay men to find community. Over 30 years later, the town’s legacy remained, but now for a different community: transgender women. Trans Heaven, Pennsylvania explores the untold story of legendary, weekend-long parties that saw hundreds of transgender women and self-identified crossdressers take over the town, traveling from all over the country to meet other people like themselves. Through interviews, animation sequences, and archival photographs, audiences get a glimpse into the heyday of these events in the early 2010s.

Never Not Yours

Three adult siblings are summoned to the family cabin to be told by their parents that they are divorcing. This is a warm and funny film, rich in the kind of family dynamics that get ignited when children, now adults, return to their childhood settings and spend more time with each other and their parents than they have in a long time. This is a first feature length film for both co-directors but their long experience in directing shorts shows in the film's maturity, restraint, and economy.

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11:57 pm: The Virtual Festival: Block Two

Sylvie on the Loose

Sylvie's release from jail is only the beginning of her journey to reclaim her freedom. Sylvie's journey takes her from elation and exuberance through heartbreak and disappointment to eventual redemption and a truly new start.

Of Two Worlds

This film tells the stories of the director's sister and cousin who, like her, are often mistaken as non-indigenous women. The film takes on the difficult issue of how these women are viewed by both the native and non-native communities and how, despite appearances, they are part of the long lineage of strong native women continuing the culture of their tribes.

The Sirens of Ukraine

Ukraine, February 24, 2022: In Kharkiv, under a bombing attack not far from the Russian border, twin sisters Maryna Aleksiiva and Vladyslava Alexsiiva flee their apartment in the middle of the night. At the last minute they take with them their Olympic medal, won in Tokyo a year earlier, for artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming). From then on, as their team is forced to relocate time and again, they are obsessed with one goal: participating in the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

Click here to Buy Tickets

11:58 pm: The Virtual Festival: Block Three

Please note that "The Faraway Nearby" will only be shown during this block of the Virtual Festival. "The Fishing Hat Bandit" will be shown in its place during the live Festival at the Bay Theater.

The Stories of the Sloughs

The Kakagon Sloughs, one of the most significant wetlands on the Great Lakes, lies at the heart of the history and culture of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This film captures the beauty of the Sloughs, while Bad River members describe their importance and why they need to be protected. Special note: The director, Phil Krause, and the producer, Paula Maday, will be featured at Cinema and Cinnamon Rolls on Saturday morning.

In the Shadow of Jinshuai

Jinshuai, a 26 year old artist, tells his story about being gay and Chinese, and the cultural and family pressures that led to his decision to leave China at the age of 24. In the film we see some of Jinshuai's powerful artwork. This film has been brought to us by Big Water's long-time friend Pierre Gaffié and his company, Différent Productions.

The Faraway Nearby

Physicist Joseph Weber was convinced that Einstein's theory of gravitational waves could be empirically proved and that he had invented the instrument to do it. His single-minded pursuit of gravitational waves leads him to--- well, we won't provide any spoilers here, but it probably doesn't hurt to say that a Nobel Prize was eventually awarded for proving the existence of gravitational waves, just as Einstein predicted. Paula Froehle presents an impressively original look at scientific discovery, bringing to bear the talents of musicians, dancers, and visual artists to plumb the emotional and creative depths of one individual obsessively engaged in the scientific process. This film will be shown online only, and not at the Bay Theater.

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11:59 pm: The Virtual Festival: Block Four

Hidden in Plain Sight

When there's a swell in Liscannor Bay, County Clare, the waves light up the reef at the mouth of the bay. Ancient folklore tells of a lost city submerged there beneath the waves. In this magical film, Kev L. Smith--- a County Clare resident, scuba diver, free diver, surfer, and underwater cinematographer- combines legend, science, and adventure to explore the beckoning water across the bay.

Hurdles

A high school girl with dreams of joining the track team is met by hurdle after hurdle. She overcomes bullying and her loss of a sense of self-worth to reach her goal.

The Last Rhino

When Lili, a 70 year old grandmother, hears that the last of the Northern White Rhinos has died, she becomes obsessed with calling out the environmental consequences of everything she sees around her. She resolves to leave behind a better world for her granddaughter Gaby.

Hello Stranger

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the story of her gender reassignment journey. Piecing together her memories, from her childhood in a small fishing village in Eastern Canada through her tumultuous medical process, Cooper attempts to make peace with the last male imprint remaining on her body: that annoying deep voice that sticks to her skin. This is a film that has already been well received at dozens of film festivals, including SXSW.

Finding Her Beat

A master of Japanese drumming and a Korean adoptee from Minnesota boldly convene an all-female troupe to perform Taiko, the Japanese drumming art that has been off-limits to women for centuries. As the early menace of COVID rumbles in the background, the group faces down hurdles to prepare for a historic performance in snowy St. Paul. Buoyed by dynamic drum performances and a do-or-die spirit, this film is an energizing and uplifting story of music, cultural expression and sisterhood. Director Dawn Mikkleson has long been a popular filmmaker at Big Water: last year, her film Minnesota Mean took home the Best Documentary Award, and in 2018 she won the Audience Favorite Award for Risking Light.

Click here to Buy Tickets

11:59 pm: The Virtual Festival: Bonus Block

These films are showing online only. Use your Festival pass to access these films, even if you attended the rest of the Festival in person.

The Accelerators: Brains, Braids, and Bots

When a high school girl found that the boys in her school's robotics club would not treat her as an equal, she took action: she founded a girls-only robotics club. Now ten years later, her former school, on the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota, fields two robotics clubs, including the award-winning Accelerators. This film, following the Accelerators through one season's competition, shows us the girls as they learn to compete with and collaborate with other- mainly male- Minnesota teams. One of our reviewers described this film as "delightful and inspiring." This film will be shown online only, and not at the Bay Theater.

Watches

Romo Lee turns in a stunning performance as Minho, a young Korean American boy who has gotten mixed up with a gang of older, troublesome friends. Minho's anger at his abusive father and his confusion and ambivalence about the petty crimes he's become involved in culminate in a robbery he sets up for his friends - of watches his father has at his apartment. This film will be shown online only, and not at the Bay Theater.

All Too Clear

Quadrillions of tiny invasive mussels, known as quaggas, are re-engineering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, and this film's use of cutting edge underwater drone photography shows us the scale of the destruction in shocking detail-- from the unnaturally clear and fish-free waters of some of the Great Lakes to the destruction of cultural resources such as a quagga-encrusted 1895 shipwreck only discovered during the filming of this movie. Because Lake Superior has not yet been as greatly affected as the Lower Great Lakes, the possible scale of quagga-caused ecosystem change here has been a little off the radar to many of us. This film will change all that for anyone who sees it. Part scientific exploration, part natural history adventure - the film's stunning photography delivers an important lesson. This film will be shown online only, and not at the Bay Theater.

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